...
Wednesday - Cube's Outdoor Training Field.
Cube Academy possessed an impressive variety of artificial terrains, all created for a single purpose: to allow for the most efficient and realistic training possible. There were rocky mountains that rose under a controlled sky, green hills perfect for ambushes, limestone caves filled with stalactites, and even replicas of volcanic caverns with rivers of simulated magma.
Each environment had its own puppet-monsters, programmed to challenge the cadets. And, of course, the pinnacle of this technology was the artificial dungeons, labyrinthine complexes created with cutting-edge magic engineering.
"Today's combat training is a little special."
The voice of Kim Soohyuk, the instructor, echoed through the cold morning air. As he had said, there were two classes participating in today's training.
Hundreds of cadets, including Theo, were gathered outside a sinister-looking cave. The dark, tunnel-like entrance looked like an open mouth, exhaling a cold, ominous energy that sent shivers down the spine.
And, indeed, the cave was full of dangers. Ingenious traps and puppet-monsters programmed to kill. But Theo knew there was something more. Hidden among the simulated dangers were real threats: real monsters and lethal traps, carefully prepared by infiltrated Djinns, and of course, one could not forget the subtle changes caused by the co-author.
Theo let out a slight sigh as he looked at the cadets of the World Class.
"Today, you will enter this cave with another class."
Kim Soohyuk continued, his gaze sweeping over the cadets' faces.
"As a joint training exercise, one team from each class will join together to form a single eight-member team."
The official name for this training was "Dungeon Simulation."
The objective was simple: the cadets formed teams of eight and experienced the challenges of an artificial Dungeon, testing not only their combat skills but also their teamwork and adaptability.
Two hundred cadets would be inside that enormous artificial Dungeon at the same time. One could only imagine how vast and complex it was inside.
"The objective is simple," the instructor said, pointing to the dark entrance. "Reach the center of the dungeon, defeat the Boss, and retrieve the 'Proof Crystal'. The first team to bring the crystal out will be the winner and will receive a substantial reward. Now, team leaders, step forward for the partner draw!"
Theo, as the leader of team 10, stepped forward while Hazuki waited for him.
Nayun, at his side, cracked her knuckles, a wide smile on her face, ready for action.
Yeonha did the same.
A few minutes later, all the groups were formed.
"So, Theo-kun, who are our teammates?"
Hazuki, who was trying to hide her uneasiness about the frightening Dungeon entrance, quietly approached and asked Theo, who was staring at the names of their partner team.
"Uh, what do you think? Know anyone?"
Hazuki narrowed her eyes, staring at the names on the holographic screen.
"Hmm, no, I've never heard of them."
"Same here."
What he said was true; the members who would join team 10 were people you could say were nothing more than NPCs.
'I hope they're easy to deal with.'
While Hazuki mentally hoped that today's practical class would go smoothly, Theo, beside her, began to look at the names of Nayun's, Yeonha's, and Suho's partner teams.
[Team 1]
Veritas Class – Team Kim Suho + World Class – Team Jo Yoon-Ah.
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[Team3]
Veritas Class – Team Chae Nayun + World Class – Team Sven.
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[Team 8]
Veritas Class - Team Yoo Yeonha + World Class - Team Jayden.
'Same as the original, for better or worse, the teams were the same.'
Partnered with Kim Suho's team was Jo Yoon-Ah, a girl described as generic, whose only role was to act arrogant in front of Kim Suho before realizing the protagonist's greatness.
'Good luck, my friend.'
Theo whispered mentally, already imagining Suho's headache.
On Yoo Yeonha's team was Jayden, the typical "strong against the weak and weak against the strong" type. From his memories, Theo recalled that this guy even received a potential upgrade.
'From what I remember, the co-author increased it from 7.5 to 8.0. Tsk! How useless, it would have been better if he had made that increase on another character.'
To give an idea, even if someone worked their entire life, it was impossible to bridge that 0.5-point difference. This showed how important this potential rating created by Kim Hajin was. And now, Jayden's potential had increased by half a point, thanks to the co-author.
Truly meaningless.
'I wonder what Yeonha's and Rachel's potential is... Nayun's is 9.5/10, the closest to Kim Suho, who has a maximum potential of 10.'
In the midst of his thoughts, Theo noticed Yeonha glancing at him from a distance.
She was talking, or rather, was the target of Jayden's conversation, but she maintained a calculated distance and a cold expression. Her arms were crossed, and her posture was an impenetrable barrier.
Theo sighed internally. He knew why. Since they started dating, Yeonha had become noticeably cold towards other boys. It was a drastic change from her original persona, where, even while liking Shin Jonghak, she still maintained a superficial kindness, often with the strategic intent of attracting talent to her side.
Now, that facade had disappeared, replaced by a wall of ice for anyone not in her inner circle.
And Theo, he didn't want her to change her plans or lose opportunities because of him. After thinking for a moment, he sent a telepathic message directly to her.
_Hey, I already said it's okay. You don't have to be so distant from people, even if they're men.
Yeonha's reaction was minuscule, but to Theo, who knew her so well, it was as clear as day. Her shoulders relaxed minimally, and she cast a quick glance in his direction.
_It's nothing, I just don't like him.
Theo smiled to himself. He knew it was more than that. Knowing her as well as he did, he was absolutely sure that she had already done a complete background check on Jayden; after all, someone with a potential of 7.5 was still a big deal in this world.
And now, with his newly improved potential, it would be a shame if he wasn't one of the possible recruits for her future guild, "Essence of the Strait."
He sent another message, this time gentler and more encouraging.
_That guy has decent potential. Recruiting him for the guild could be good for you. I don't want you to miss an opportunity for fear that I'll get jealousys. I trust you.
This time, her reaction was more visible.
A faint blush rose to her cheeks, and she averted her gaze for a second, a rare display of embarrassment.
When she looked back at Jayden, her posture had changed. The wall of ice didn't disappear, but a small crack had opened. She uncrossed her arms and offered a formal nod, beginning to engage in the conversation with the calculated efficiency of a leader, no longer with the distance of a committed girlfriend.
Theo gave a small smile and a slight nod, a way of saying "that's it."
'Now...'
Shifting his gaze from Yeonha, Theo looked for Nayun, who was probably already with her team.
'...Ha he already sold his soul to a demon's servant?'
...
Note: Yesterday I had a problem trying to get the chapter to publish for you (I'll leave the image).
I use Wattpad to save my drafts, but yesterday there was a problem, and I got an error every time I tried to log in.
Even when I clicked on continue, the app just closed. After trying many times to log in and failing, I left it for today, when it apparently returned to normal... Sorry about that, I'll start saving my drafts somewhere else.